


Deal With Me

by Phoenix_WingBeat



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Keith (Voltron), Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Pidge is on her period, Pidge on her Period, Sleepovers, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Team Bonding, Team Voltron gets The Talk, brotherly lance, did i already mention fluff?, i made it as adorable as i dared, will probs make you smile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-16 18:15:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoenix_WingBeat/pseuds/Phoenix_WingBeat
Summary: Team Voltron meets Pidge's monthly visitor for the first time.Shiro is Confused. Hunk is Worried. Keith is Awkward. Lance is a Big Bro. and the Alteans are Clueless.They're in for a wild ride.---Chapter 1: Allura vs. Pidge and Hugs for AllChapter 2: Shiro gets kneed and the Galra realize they made a Big Mistake.Chapter 3: Wailing, "Shut up, Shiro.", and a certain someone makes Pidge cry. (He also has no idea how to deal with it.)Chapter 4: Pidge cries over nothing and Hangry Cries.Chapter 5: (The moment you guys have been waiting for...) Lance provides Pidge with her essentials and CERTAIN MEMBERS OF TEAM VOLTRON GET *THE TALK*.Chapter 6: Bonding Time! (Movie Nights and Unplanned Sleepovers)Chapter 7: Bonus! (Morning After)





	1. I Can Go From 100 to 0 in No Time

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be just a bunch of bullet points of my ideas on how Pidge would act with her period in space, with absolutely no one who can relate. Somehow, a fic was born. It's not my best work, but bear with me, alright?
> 
> ((These are inspired by irl experiences too, so high five all you blood sisters. May the crimson stains around you be only of your enemies.))
> 
> Lastly, all chapters of this fic are already finished, I just need to polish and edit. So expect chapters daily (or every other day).
> 
> Edit: I've been told that there's apparently already a 'Pidge is on her period' tag. I probably should have used that first. Anyway, I've added it already! Thanks guys :3

Something was off about Pidge today. Well, for the past few days actually. Two days ago, she seemed to be on edge. Like she was dreading an impending disaster. Yesterday, she could be seen sneaking not-so-subtle glances at Allura during meals and training breaks. It was as if she wanted to ask something from the princess, but always hesitated at the last second. She’d walk away, a tinge of pink coloring the tips of her ears. Those amongst the team who noticed (Shiro and Hunk, mostly) didn’t make any comment, for fear of treading into Pidge’s personal matters. Instead, they decided to wait for a few days to see if anything needing their intervention would come up.

Boy, were they not prepared for when those fateful days would come and slap them right across their oblivious faces. The dreaded event has come, and it intended to stay for as long as it wants. A storm was brewing, and Team Voltron had remained blissfully unaware as it struck in their sleep.

 

DAY 1 – Morning

The emergency alarm blared inside the Castle of Lions. Allura’s voice could also be heard echoing across every room, urging the team to suit up and meet her at the control room **now**. At this time, most of the team had been sleeping. Keith showed up first, of course. He was followed by a grim-looking Shiro shortly after. Lance came in third, nearly barreling into Keith as he sprinted into the room with a dazed Hunk at his heels. The crusted remnants of a face product were still smeared on Lance’s cheeks and chin. By this time, the team had understood that it wasn’t a real emergency, but another early training wake-up call to test their reaction times.

Seconds turned into minutes as Allura paced and tutted disapprovingly. Pidge was yet to make an appearance. Eight minutes and forty-seven seconds after the alarm sounded, Pidge could be heard running as she turned the corner towards the control room. Allura, positively fuming at this point, marched towards her immediately.

            “What happened, Pidge?! Do you not understand the concept of an emergency? What if there were Galra ships shooting at the castle this very second? What if Zarkon appeared and we needed Voltron?”

Shiro had begun to step forward and speak, but Allura silenced him with a glare. Turning back towards Pidge, she leaned down and pointed a finger at her chest.

            “I expected better from you! A few dozen seconds of tardiness would have been tolerable, but _eight_ , nearly nine, minutes is unacceptable!”

The green paladin’s next action had everybody reeling from surprise. Allura herself was shocked out of words. Everybody would have been left wondering if such a thing really happened, if not for the sharp sound that echoed the silent room and the fact that Allura and Pidge held their poses for a few brief moments.

Allura’s hand that had been poking at Pidge’s chest plate was strongly and sharply slapped to the side.

The princesses’ hand hovered awkwardly in the air for a couple of seconds before she pulled it back to her chest as Pidge straightened up and balled her hands into fists. Shiro, Lance, Keith, and Hunk hadn’t yet recovered from their shock to make any movement but open and close their mouths. Pidge was glaring furiously at the princess.

            “I don’t have time for your stupid fake emergencies! Yes, I heard the alarm. Yes, I heard you call us here. But you forget that I can access the castle’s footage from my room, which was exactly what I first thought of doing when I was _unceremoniously_ ordered out of bed.”

Pidge was pushing Allura back this time. Parts of her argument were punctuated with a forceful step forward.

            “Guess what I saw?! There was **no emergency**!  No Galra, no Zarkon, _no worries_! So I chose to deal with a more immediate problem instead of running over here like I was at your every beck and call!” Pidge was yelling now.

This was more than enough for Shiro to finally snap out of his shock and make his way towards the arguing girls. Allura’s expression had morphed into something fierce. She wasn’t used to being talked back at so _rudely._

            “Excuse you?! What _‘immediate problem’_ could you possibly have that—”

            “Now, now…,” Shiro called as he stepped in between them. “I’m sure this could be solved without all the yelling. Let’s talk this out, ok?”

Allura’s glare was still in place as Pidge crossed her arms and looked away. The other paladins were slowly making their way around the three, wary of any more unexpected outbursts.

Shiro glanced sideways at Allura.

            “Yelling like that isn’t very becoming of you, Princess,” he chided gently. “You weaken your point by raising your voice. Do us a favor and breathe, alright?”

Allura had the grace to look embarrassed as she nodded almost sheepishly and took a deep, calming breath.

Shiro turned his attention to Pidge and frowned at her worriedly.

            “Though the means of communicating it could use some work, I do agree with the Princess on some of her concerns. You’re never this far behind when we have emergency drills,” Shiro noted the faint blush of embarrassment on Pidge’s cheeks. He put his hand on her shoulder as he leaned forward, trying to catch her eye. “Is something wrong, Pidge?”

            “It’s nothing,” she said in a clipped tone. It seemed that she found the floor and her shoes very interesting. Shiro, however, kept his firm, fatherly gaze trained on the younger paladin, which unnerved her into a resigned huff. “I’m fine, really. I just don’t want to talk about it.”

             Shiro opened his mouth, presumably to inquire further, but he was cut off by Coran’s cheerful call. “I’ve finally finished the training preparations! Are we ready to move?”

             It took Coran a moment to register the scene. “Am I interrupting something?” he said after a while.

            Allura shook her head. “No, we’re fine. Lead the way, Coran. They’re ready for the first drill.”

\---

The early morning training consisted of various shooting drills and obstacle courses. They finished without any further incident, but if anyone noticed Pidge taking more bathroom breaks than usual, nobody said a thing. A vague sort of understanding crossed their minds as each of them silently suspected an upset stomach to be the reason for Pidge’s odd behavior.

\---

DAY 1 – Dinner Time

Pidge was positively giddy as she walked alongside Hunk towards the castle’s dining area. Seeing Shiro approach the large table from the other side of the room, she quickly dashed to the older paladin.

            “Shiro!” she chirped.

Shiro barely had time to look for the voice’s owner when, suddenly, he nearly toppled over and found himself with an armful of bushy light hair and glasses. The restless bundle slid down until her feet met the ground once more. Pidge had her hands wrapped around the black paladin’s waist. She grinned up at him, her glasses slightly askew from the impact.

            “O-oh! Pidge,” he chuckled lightly. A bit of awkwardness tinged his voice and body language, but he got over it pretty quickly as he fixed the young paladin’s glasses. He laid his metal hand over her shoulder as the other patted her head. “What’s up?”

            “Nothing, really,” she smiled. She then let go of his torso and left a bewildered Shiro staring after her as she skipped to her place on the dining table.

Pidge never just hugged people like that. But Shiro couldn’t know for sure. He made eye contact with Hunk and raised a questioning eyebrow. He shrugged and grinned sheepishly. Hunk had also been tackled into a hug right after Pidge met with him in the hallway.

After dinner (where Pidge had actually asked for a third helping, when she never before took second helpings! Hunk was close to crying tears of joy. He would have to take note of the ingredients in the dish he just made.), Pidge had successfully hugged every member of Team Voltron.

Allura had been delighted at the adorable display of affection, and returned the hug in earnest, even lifting Pidge slightly off the ground as she twirled them both. Pidge had also mumbled a shy apology for her tardiness in the earlier training, which Allura accepted with a soft smile.

Coran had laughed heartily as he patted the young paladin’s light hair. He also seemed a bit winded after Pidge decided he was deserving of one strong squeeze before she skipped over to her next target.

Keith had been tricky to approach, but Pidge eventually found him walking distractedly towards his room. He was reading from a tablet he borrowed from Coran earlier in the afternoon. Pidge took the opportunity and tackled him head-on. He made an undignified yelp the tablet clattered to the floor. “P-Pidge?” he asked breathlessly.

            “Hi Keith!” she greeted giddily. She squeezed him once more for good measure and bent down to pick up the fallen tablet. “Bye Keith!” she said after returning it and dashing away, leaving a dazed red paladin in her wake.

Lance gave her the most fun out of the hug. As one with many siblings, he knew how to handle the surprise tackle Pidge planned to give him from the side. It may have been either the sudden movement, the quickly approaching footsteps, or the small, familiar squeak of joy, that prompted Lance to shift into a well-practiced position. He swiftly turned towards the youngest paladin and, crouching down slightly, reached up with both hands just as Pidge made a small leap.

            “Gotcha!” he exclaimed loudly as Pidge yelped and giggled. He had caught Pidge by the armpits and lifted her to the air. Using her momentum, he swayed her to the side and stumbled just a bit. Pidge certainly wasn’t the same weight as the younger kids and siblings he did this to. He put her down and mussed her hair as she squeezed his waist.

            “Someone’s really happy today, eh?” he grinned.


	2. I Can Go From 0 to 100 in No Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro gets kneed and the Galra realize they've made a Big Mistake.

DAY 2 - Afternoon

Pidge had been quiet since morning. Though her affectionate displays the previous night cheered up everyone on board, today she seemed a bit grim. She kept frowning distractedly and shifting in and out of focus during meals and team discussions. Her fellow teammates were worried about the sudden shift in her behavior. As far as they knew, nothing else happened the previous night for her to be acting this way. Shiro wondered if she had a nightmare. _Maybe she’d like to talk about it after we train,_ he thought.

Late afternoon training would include sparring drills with weapons. He voiced his concerns to Allura as they made their way to the training deck. She glanced worriedly at the youngest paladin and nodded to Shiro. _They should probably take it easy on her for now._

Allura called out the sparring match-ups and paired Shiro with Pidge. The announcement snapped Pidge back to the present. She zoned out for a while when Allura began to give them the usual run down of the afternoon’s training. It wasn’t as if she never sparred with Shiro before. It’s just that Shiro was older, taller, and stronger, so naturally, Pidge would be a little intimidated.

A dull throb in her lower abdomen also brought Pidge’s attention to another matter she dreaded about the coming match. The throbbing continued persistently as she watched Hunk and Lance spar. It didn’t hurt much (yet) , but it was incredibly annoying. She didn’t notice it, but she was frowning again. _If only it would just. go. away. _

Before she knew it, it was her turn to spar. She was still extremely frustrated with her condition, but because of the intimidation brought about by Shiro’s presence in front of her, she now felt restless as well. She needed to vent. Maybe she could use this spar to her advantage.

            “Don’t go easy on me, Shiro,” she teased weakly as she got into a fighting stance. Shiro chuckled awkwardly. That was exactly what he was planning to do when Allura matched him up with Pidge.

            “Back at you, Pidge. Give me all you’ve got,” he replied as he got into position. “Don’t hold back.”

Those three words were all Pidge needed. Once Allura signaled the beginning of the match, the green paladin surprised everyone by loudly launching herself at Shiro faster than anyone could blink. Shiro made a strangled noise as he stumbled backwards and deflected Pidge’s glowing weapon. He was more caught off guard by the screaming than the actual attack.

Pidge was attacking relentlessly, pushing Shiro back with every strike and yell that accompanied it. It was the noisiest match that had ever taken place, beating even Lance and Keith’s usual volume, and aside from Shiro’s small yelps and gasps, it was only Pidge making the noise.

Shiro was just very confused. He went into the match planning to go easy on the youngest paladin because of her gloominess, and, well, also because of her size and strength, which were both honestly no match for Shiro. Now though, Pidge was attacking with never before seen vigor. One part of his mind was screaming at him to let loose and attack as he normally would, but the other, stronger part of his mind was urging him to continue evading. If he followed the former advice, he would run the risk of hurting Pidge.

One’s own survival instincts are hard to go against though. Shiro was currently having an internal struggle over what to do, and Pidge’s yelling wasn’t helping him get his thoughts in order. He inhaled sharply as he began to crouch in order to dodge Pidge’s weapon as it flew towards his face. He made it just in time as the green blade sliced at the air above him. Shiro was distracted by the glance he made towards the weapon that he didn’t notice Pidge’s knee shoot up and connect with his chest.

That knocked the air out of him for sure. It would probably bruise later, too. Pushing the shock and pain out of his mind, he grabbed Pidge’s knee and ankle in each hand. He then pushed her back and twisted her ankle upwards slightly. With her balance thoroughly broken, Pidge tumbled to the ground.

            “Aw, man. I thought I had you that time for sure,” Pidge groaned as she rolled over to lay flat on the ground.

            “Almost, Pidge, almost,” Shiro smiled as he rubbed his chest, still wondering what exactly has gotten into their youngest paladin.

In the background, Keith, Hunk, Lance, and Allura were dumbfounded.

            "Holy quiznack," Lance murmured.

Keith was eyeing the way Shiro rubbed at his chest. Pidge's slim knee must've been pretty sharp.

            "He won't admit it, but she did get him good," he replied lowly.

            "I heard the impact from here," Allura said in awe. "Where did Pidge's newfound strength come from?"

            Hunk cringed. "That's definitely going to bruise."

\---

DAY 2 - Evening         

Pidge was yelling at the top of her lungs as she cut down sentinels left and right. The Galra soldiers that ran towards her, thinking she’d be an easy target had realized they’ve made a Mistake™, and have begun fleeing in the opposite direction. In truth, Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Shiro were just about ready to follow suit when Pidge loudly broke down one of the ship’s doors, the walls still echoing with her last word, “Die!”.

Seeing that the last of the soldiers have been pulverized by the door she just blasted, Pidge was panting as she turned her predatory gaze on her teammates who froze like deer in the headlights. Keith shivered silently and Lance even let out a small yelp of fear as he hid behind Hunk.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Pidge’s terrifying expression vanished and was replaced by a tired look.

            “So, are we done?” she huffs, kicking away a piece of debris as she looked around at the chaos of fallen soldiers and broken weapons.

As usual, Shiro was the first to find his voice to respond, though he had to clear his throat a couple of times to make sure coherent words came out.

            “Y-yeah, it sure looks like it, Pidge. Well done,” he manages.

And he thought Pidge was gloomy this morning. Shiro just shook his head. Pidge was definitely filled with surprises today.


	3. I Dish It Out, But I Can't Take It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monotone wails, "Shut up, Shiro.", and a certain Red Paladin makes Pidge cry. (Three guesses as to how he deals with it.)
> 
> BONUS: Badass Lance

DAY 3 – Morning

Pidge was acting odd, well… _odder_ than usual. She was constantly making drawn out sighs or groans. Not in a particularly rude or attention-seeking way though. She would sigh or groan during meals or when she was walking from one place to another. She could also be found in random places and corners, tucked into a fetus position. And when she thinks she’s the only one in a room, she lets out loud long, monotone, wails.

Keith was, unsurprisingly, pretty disturbed when he went into the training deck to hear Pidge’s latest wail. He took one look at the seemingly empty room (not knowing that Pidge was snugly seated in a corner, rocking back and forth in a fetus position), and promptly walked right back out. Whatever weirdness was going on in that room, he could wait it out. He didn’t want anything to do with it right now.

Coran and Shiro approached her and asked about her odd behavior, but she would just wave them off and insist that she was just venting and relieving stress.

\---

DAY 3 – Afternoon

            “Shut up, Shiro. You’re not the boss of me.”

All the activity taking place in the training deck had come to a halt as Pidge’s words lingered in the air. Everyone was beginning to lose count of the unexpected things Pidge has said and done over the past few days.

             “Huh?” Shiro wasn’t sure he heard that right, so he just stared at her and blinked.

            “Woah, woah, Pidge. Come on now, lighten up!” Lance says gently as he puts his hand on her shoulder. “Space Dad’s just trying to help.”

            “Well he’s _not_ my dad, and I didn’t ask for his help. This is _my_ bayard and I know how to use it best,” she growls angrily as she shrugs out of Lance’s hold. “It’s not like _you’re_ any better. Talk to me when you finish any drill without messing up.” Lance gasped softly at that.

            “Just because you guys are older doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do.”

At that moment, Keith and Hunk came running in with small packs of water.

            “What’s going on?” Hunk asked weakly. He hated it when fights like this came up.

Without saying a word, Lance walked a few steps away from the team and entered one of the drill codes on the training deck. All eyes were on the blue paladin, and Shiro was about to call him back when six robotic spheres whirred to life and began flying towards them.

Hunk yelled in fear and dropped all the water pouches he carried as he scrambled to take cover. Pidge activated her shield but stumbled backwards and fell. Shiro and Keith crouched into defensive stances, ready to defend their friends if they had to. Then six quick blasts echoed through the training deck, and the six spheres were no more.

Pidge opened her eyes and lowered her shield to see Lance standing calmly to the side, his eyes still trained down the length of his gun.

            “Was that good enough, Pidge?” he mumbled as he let out a breath. “Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you better pull yourself together, explain yourself, and apologize to Shiro.”

            “Not necessarily in that order,” he added as he made his way back to his friends.

Pidge stood shakily and looked at each of them in the eyes. They all had such worried and disappointed expressions that she turned around and ran off without another word.

\---

DAY 3 – After Dinner

Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Allura and Coran had no idea what happened for such a cold atmosphere to develop amongst the paladins, as they were handling castle maintenance checks while the earlier training session took place.

Hunk and Keith were briefed about Pidge’s latest outburst, and while Hunk was worried, and just a little scared, Keith was absolutely furious. _No one mouthed off to his brother and his friends like that. Not on his watch._

So, after their meal, Keith followed, and promptly cornered a glaring Pidge in the lounge. After giving her a good piece of his mind, he paused to take a few deep breaths. All the yelling, waving, and pointing he made tired him out. He tried to remember the last thing he said so he could continue from there, when suddenly, he saw something that made him forget his anger entirely.

Pidge was crying.

The green paladin was pink in the face and tears were silently streaming down her cheeks. She brought her hands up to wipe her tears and began sniffling. Keith was speechless. He now felt very _very_ guilty.

            “H-hey, Pidge. A-are you--? I mean, I’m--,” he began. The red paladin was running a silent string of curses in his head. Despite Pidge’s maturity, personality, and skill, Pidge was still a little girl. Keith wanted to kick himself. _How could he forget that?_ He made sure his words were harsh and sharp, and he must have looked pretty scary as he angrily towered over her.

Pidge’s sniffles immediately turned into full on sobs as she dropped to the ground and pushed her glasses up to cover her face with her hands. Keith was panicking now. _Where was Shiro when you needed him?_ He then blanched at the thought of Shiro’s disapproving glare when he finds out Keith make Pidge cry.

Hell, Keith himself was *this* close to crying in frustration as well. He continued awkwardly apologizing and patting Pidge as she squirmed away from him. _Quiznak_ , he thought. Keith had no idea what to do, all he knew was that he just couldn't take this any longer.

Keith didn’t have to worry any more though, as the ever dependable Hunk came rushing into the lounge.

            “Hey! I was walking in the hallway and I heard—," Hunk stopped in his tracks. “What the—?”

            “Keith! What did you do??” Hunk hissed angrily.

            “Come on now, Pidge,” the yellow paladin murmured soothingly as he lifted her up and carried her away, presumably to her room.

Pidge clung to Hunk's neck pitifully and her sobs immediately increased in volume.

            “We’re going to talk about this later,” the Hunk said lowly as he narrowed his eyes and pushed past Keith.

The moment Hunk and Pidge were out of the lounge, and Pidge's sobs were mere echoes in the hallway, Keith dropped down into one of the seats. _Well, that was emotionally taxing._ He groaned as he thought of what Hunk, and heck, what the rest of the team would say when they hear about this.


	4. What Goes Up Goes Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Features Pidge crying over nothing and Hangry Crying.
> 
> Also, a certain someone finally realizes what's going on.

DAY 4 – Morning ‘till Noon

Whatever was going on with Pidge seemed to be reaching its climax today.

After being soundly scolded by the entire team (Allura and Coran included) the night before, Keith was greeted first thing in the morning by a shy and fidgety Pidge. She apologized profusely for her behavior, and Keith had no idea how to respond, which left them standing awkwardly in front of Keith’s doorway before Shiro passed by, his presence effectively breaking up the tension.

After a silent breakfast, she had cornered every single paladin but Hunk as she gave them each a hefty number of apologies. She stuttered all the way through some and sobbed through the others. It was chaos.

The apologies continued after training. Pidge would be skipping and joking happily one second, then bawling at another paladin the next. If it wasn’t a paladin she was crying at, it would be some mundane thing that left everyone scratching their heads in confusion, like food, her bayard, the window… and even her computer.

Hunk walked into Pidge crying in front of a projected string of code. He paid it no mind whatsoever, as he did his best to console Pidge. The green paladin kept trying to wave him away, saying “ _No, I’m ok. It’s just really stupid_.” Hunk, however, would not budge. Pidge has cried enough for one day, he reasoned. There’s got to be something he could do.

Only when he shifted to better pat Pidge’s back, did he notice the string of code Pidge seemed to be working on. A red error sign sat innocently on the center of the screen. Hunk didn’t even have to move the sign away to notice Pidge’s issue. He gave the screen a few taps and the machine beeped in approval.

Pidge uncovered her eyes in mild shock.

            “How did you…?” she whispered hoarsely. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t…”

            “Err…,” Hunk started awkwardly. “You didn’t input the usual _end_ sequence code. Wait, no! I mean, you inputted something alright, but that was… the _start_ sequence code.”

            He wasn’t sure what to say. Sure, the start and end sequence codes looked similar, but it wasn’t a mistake that someone like Pidge made.

            “It could happen to anyone, Pidge,” he said soothingly, immediately rebuffing his own thoughts. _Wait,_ he blanched. _Pidge was crying over this?!_

            “I’m stupid!” Pidge wailed as a fresh wave of tears made their way down her cheeks. She hugged her knees to her chest and cried some more.

Hunk began to panic.

This was going to be a long day.

\---

Neither of them noticed Lance silently standing in the hallway. He had witnessed the entire thing, and realization began to dawn on his features. His eyes widened as he gasped.

_How did I not notice???_

He ran down to the control room to see Coran. The older Altean was making a list of equipment and supplies due for restocking, as they were passing a fairly large space shop in a couple of varga. Lance intended to tag along. There was something important he had to buy.

\---

DAY 4 – (Very) Late at Night

Hunk felt pretty thirsty as he tossed and turned on his bed. Half of him was too lazy to get up and walk all the way to the kitchen to grab a new batch of water packets, but the other half convinced him to get his butt out of bed and drink if he wanted to sleep at all.

On his way to the kitchen, he saw an odd light flicker down the hallway. He froze in fear. _What if there was an intruder?_ Hunk was too far from his room to grab his bayard, and if he moved to run away, he would surely be heard. So he did the only thing he could do at the moment. He tiptoed towards the doorway and peeked inside.

Hunk’s eyes widened in terror when he saw the thing making odd lights and noise inside the kitchen. It was a monstrous, crudely shaped creature. It was twitching occasionally as it made gross squelching sounds.

Hunk put his hands on his mouth as he stifled a yell. He didn’t even manage a step back as he dropped loudly to the floor. A strangled cry for help made its way hoarsely out of his throat.

The terrifying figure jolted and began to turn slowly. Hunk was sputtering as he slid backwards into a wall. He caught sight of humongous, glowing round eyes as the monster nearly completed its turn. This was the last straw, as Hunk couldn’t hold back anymore. He screamed with all his might as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Another high-pitched scream mingled with his own. Hunk screamed even louder, thinking the sound was the roar of the monster who was soon to consume him, but all of two seconds passed until he recognized the voice.

The light flicked on from inside the kitchen.

“P-pidge?” Hunk called fearfully.

Pidge was wrapped in a large blanket as she held tightly onto a bowl of blue food goo. The spoon she was eating with had clattered onto the floor.

“What are you doing here?!” they asked in unison.

It wasn’t long until they were both yelling, blaming the other for the heart attacks they nearly had and to cover their embarrassment of mistaking the other for a monster (Hunk) and getting caught sneaking food in the dead of the night (Pidge).

Half a minute passed and found them both in tears as they wailed nonsense at each other in a weird sort of argument.

A dazed group of paladins sleepily stumbled to the scene.

After the initial shock, Lance sprang into action, patting Pidge as she clung to him like a koala. Lance stood, with Pidge’s arms around his neck, and legs wrapped around his torso. He nodded at Shiro as he slowly made his way back to Pidge’s room, patting and comforting the green paladin along the way.

Hunk, on the other hand, had calmed down slightly. And after explaining the, admittedly, weird situation to Shiro, who had witnessed enough the past few days to question anything, Hunk was escorted by Keith back to his room.

In the midst of all the excitement, Lance wasn't able to seize the opportunity to hand Pidge something important he bought the other day. He'd have to wait 'till morning.

\---

Another awkward breakfast greeted the paladins, but Pidge and Hunk were able to sort themselves out in the middle of the meal, apologizing and expressing their embarrassment for their actions. Everyone collectively decided not to speak of the incident anytime soon, but maybe one day, they’d be able to laugh at the memorable events of that fateful night. Needless to say, Lance, who honestly found the whole thing hilarious, couldn't wait for that day to come. 

 


	5. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance provides Pidge with her essentials and some members of Team Voltron get The Talk.
> 
> ((Three cheers for big bro Lance))

DAY 5 – After Breakfast

            “Hey, Pidge! Wait up,” Lance called urgently as the team left the dining room for morning training.

He and Pidge lagged behind as Lance steered Pidge and made a turn that branched away from their initial path towards the training deck.

            “I know it’s a bit awkward,” he babbled after a while. “But I thought, y’know, I’d do the same thing for you as I did with my sisters.”

            “I really should have noticed sooner, but it just slipped my mind,” he apologized vaguely.

            “Lance?” Pidge inquired impatiently. She had a slight idea of what he was getting at, and if she was correct, she’d rather not prolong the conversation.

She was surprised by Lance abruptly pushing a decently sized box towards her.

            “I—er, didn’t know what you preferred, so I just picked up a couple of packs of every human-friendly product I could find,” he said, looking anywhere but at Pidge. “I got it during our last restocking. There was another human shop in that one planet."

            “I think these were under ‘cleaning equipment’ if I remember correctly. But I knew what to look for, of course…” he trailed off.

After a while, he was able to glance at a red-faced Pidge out of the corner of his eye, just as she accepted the box from his outstretched arms.

            “H-hey! It’s no big deal, alright? Buying these wasn’t weird or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. I did that for my sisters all the time! Even for my mother sometimes,” he said sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head. "And it's not like the alien behind the cashier knew what these were for!"

            “The team doesn’t know about this either. I just thought you’d want to be the one to tell them, if you wanted to tell them at all, I mean.”

He almost didn’t hear Pidge’s shy squeak of gratitude.

            “Thanks, Lance.”

            “Anything for my newest little sis!” Lance patted her head. “Honestly, how did you manage without these? My sisters would always go crazy and send me running for the nearest store to get some when they somehow manage to burn through their stocks at home!”

            “I improvised,” Pidge stated simply.

Lance nodded, accepting the, thankfully, vague answer. He wasn’t sure he **really** wanted to know how Pidge did that. But if she could work her wonders with code, surely, she could also improvise something to fit her needs.

They jumped slightly as they heard their names being called by Coran. He was sent to look for the two missing paladins who were, by now, pretty late to their morning training.

            “Go, Pidge,” Lance whispered, pushing her towards the general direction of her room. “ ‘Get changed’, or whatever you guys call it. No matter what you improvised, I think those would be much more comfortable.”

Lance and Pidge pinked at the tips of their ears, because, yes, they were really having that kind of conversation.

            “O-okay. Thanks, Lance! I’ll be right back,” she called as she ran down the hallway.

\---

DAY 5 – After Dinner

            “All right, guys. You all know why I gathered you here today,” Shiro began seriously.

The rest of the team nodded. Allura, Coran, Keith, and Hunk were present in the infirmary. Pidge had resigned to her room for the night, and Lance was checking to make sure she doesn’t go out any time soon. It was the perfect time to discuss their current… situation.

            “Pidge’s behavior is getting out of hand,” Allura sighed as she voiced out their thoughts.

            “Coran, you said you found something odd about Pidge the other day. Would you mind sharing it with the rest of the team?” Shiro requested.

Coran had been busily tapping at his tablet since the beginning of the meeting.

            “Of course, of course. Just give me one… tick. Ah, there!”

A glowing green chart filled with numbers and graphs had been projected in their midst.

            “This is the data I’ve collected from Pidge over the short span of time she’s been in the castle with us,” Coran explained. Then a second batch of glowing red charts popped up beside the previous one.

            “This, on the other hand, shows us the changes in Pidge’s hormonal balance over the last week.”

Even to a casual observer, the data in the second chart seemed more erratic compared to the steady progress portrayed in the first chart.

            “Wait… Hormones?” Hunk whispered in realization.

            “O-oh…,” Shiro sputtered as he covered his pinking face with his metal hand.

Allura looked at them questioningly.

            “Is there something wrong, Shiro, Hunk? Do you have any information regarding what may be causing Pidge’s worrisome behavior?”

Shiro and Hunk cringed slightly. They have never foreseen having to make this explanation. Their flustered silence had Allura, Coran, and heck, even _Keith_ , staring at them in confusion. The two had no choice but to pull themselves together. Shiro breathed a deep, calming breath while Hunk gulped audibly. This was going to be a _very_ awkward talk.

\---

            “I-I’m sorry. Let me get this straight. Human women _what_ out of their _whats_?”

After what had been nearly twenty minutes of explanations and questions, Allura still couldn’t let the topic go.

            “E-erm… Right, once every month, they bleed out of their—,” Hunk tried to explain.

            “I-I don’t trust anything that lives after bleeding out for a week,” a pale Keith mumbled dazedly.

Coran had discreetly moved to a quiet side, busying himself with his tablet. He kept clearing his throat and his face was a very bright red. _Poor Pidge_ , he would mumble every now and then.

             “—and that’s what’s been causing the chaotic shift in Pidge’s hormonal balance, and therefore, her unusual behavior,” Shiro tried to continue.

            “It’s perfectly normal!” Hunk squeaked to ease Allura’s bewildered stare.

            “Normal?!” the princess repeated with a dumbfounded expression. Putting a delicate hand to her temple, she whispered hoarsely, “I… may need a moment.”

The uneasy silence that encompassed the room was broken by Lance rushing through the doorway.

            “I’m back! What’s up?” he called.

No one would respond at first. How do you even start to explain something like this? So the blue paladin had to take Hunk aside for a hushed review of events.

            “Oooooh. I see,” Lance said loudly. “You guys finally found out. Honestly, I could have told you that yesterday, but it was Pidge’s thing to tell, you know?”

            Inwardly, Lance snickered. He would have paid to see how that Talk went.

Now that it was clear that everyone understood (more or less) Pidge’s situation, they decided that they had take action. To do something, anything. _But what do we do though?_

Thankfully, Lance had a lot of experience. In less time than it took to explain a period, Lance was able to get everyone in on Operation: Red.

\---

The paladins had cancelled morning training in order to break the ice with Pidge. After uneasily confirming that yes, she was indeed having her period, and that she was sorry for worrying the team, they gratefully moved on to another topic: Pidge’s health.

Coran was peppering her with questions about her physical state. Having researched about human biology the previous night, he found out that women on their period can be more susceptible to sickness.

Keith had silently urged her to sit down as Hunk and Shiro asked her if she needed anything. _Anything at all._

After the initial scramble for Pidge’s attention, Allura had taken the green paladin aside to ask her how she was feeling, and to tell her immediately if she would need a blood transfusion.

Lance just held back his laughter through it all and shrugged sheepishly when Pidge looked at him in a silent plea for help.

            “It’s either you face these questions now, or get them unexpectedly in the middle of missions,” he grinned.


	6. Four Big Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation: Red (Bonding Time!)

DAY 6 – Early Evening (Operation: Red is now in motion)

            “You guys don’t have to do this, you know?”

            “Nu-uh,” Hunk replied as he ran his hands around the heated gel to be placed inside a hot compress bag. “We _want_ to do this. Is this warm enough Pidge? Or maybe it’s a little too warm?” he asked, frowning in thought.

            Pidge walked up beside him and poked her finger into the warm, thick mass of slime. She smiled approvingly. “It’s just right. Thanks, Hunk!”

Hunk grinned and picked up the bowl to finish making hot compresses for the young paladin.

            “Anything for my little sis!” he said as he poured the slime into a thick white bag. “Run along now. I’ll have these and some alien cookies out in a jiffy.”

\---

Shiro was stirring something in a pot as Pidge walked into the kitchen. Keith was beside him, whispering instructions and occasionally tasting the liquid inside the pot.

Shiro waved at Pidge and motioned her to come closer.

            “Do you mind tasting this? It’s supposed to be some kind of alien hot chocolate,” he explained as he dipped a spoon into the dark pink liquid. “We thought it would be nice to have for tonight.”

            “Oh wow!” Pidge exclaimed as she took the spoon and tasted it. “It’s amazing!”

            “Yeah?” Shiro smiled and gestured to a couple of pitchers. “I was just planning to make tea, actually. But Keith suggested we have some of these, too. He’s actually the expert at making these. I’m just learning.”

            Keith huffed and pinked slightly. “I’m just here to watch Hunk’s cookies,” he mumbled.

            Pidge giggled. “Thanks, Keith. Thanks, Shiro.”

            “Anything for my little sister,” Shiro chuckled as he returned his attention to stirring.

Pidge smiled brightly at that.

There was a weird expression of awe and curiosity on Keith’s face as he looked back and forth from Shiro to Pidge. He stared at an oblivious Pidge for a few more seconds. _Sister?_ He wondered.

After returning the spoon, Pidge turned as Lance called her name from outside the kitchen. The blue paladin was in charge of the blankets and equipment. He must be on his way to the room Coran and Allura cleaned out for the night. Pidge waved at Shiro and Keith, letting them know that she’d just be a few rooms away.

\---

In a few moments, everyone was gathered in he ship’s makeshift Movie Room. Each of the paladins wore their sleeping clothes for maximum comfort (though their bayards were still laid within reach), and thanks to Lance’s insistence, they all wore their Lion slippers as well.

Pidge donned a long, oversized shirt and loose dark green leggings. Shiro was dressed simply, in a white tank top and black pajama pants. Hunk chose to wear baggy brown shorts and a faded yellow shirt with a print of a red and white ball covering the lower half. Keith and Lance were dressed similarly with cotton shirts (black and off-white respectively) and pajama pants (red and light gray respectively). Lance was also wrapped in his trademark blue robe.

They were chattering casually as they made their way to the couch. Pidge was just telling Hunk of the movie they were going to see, it was one she had been planning to watch but never got the chance to. The moment she seated herself, she immediately realized that she was missing something.

            “Oh! I forgot my tablet in the control room Let me go get—,"

            “Leave it to me, Pidge!” Keith interrupted as he dashed out of the room.

            “Ah, err… Thanks, Keith!” she shouted after him.

Smiling, she shook her head. _Really, I could walk on my own. But I guess it doesn’t feel bad to be babied once in a while. Who knew Keith could be a doting older brother?_

When Keith returned, slightly breathless, with Pidge’s tablet in hand, Pidge wasted no time thanking him again. She stopped tapping at once when she heard him reply in a shy tone.

            “A-anything for my little sister.”

Pidge turned around just as Keith walked away from her, the tips of his ears were a bright pink. She knew that she could never get him to repeat that, but she caught Keith’s eye from his peripheral and smiled to show that she heard him.

\---

The night wore on as the paladins enjoyed each other’s company. If one takes a single look, it would be easy to mistake them as an adorable family.  Coran and Allura had joined them and were seated with Shiro on a large plush couch while Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and Keith were sprawled in various positions on the floor in front of it. Each of them had one or two blankets and steaming mugs of sweet tea and/or hot chocolate (or at least the Altean equivalents of them). Bowls of snacks were laying here and there, free for all to eat from.

They watched a very old movie projected by a small machine, the screen size rivaled those found in a cinema. The movie was about the shenanigans of two schoolboys with a penchant for pranks. They were being punished by the school principal by separating their dorms. It was a light and fun movie that coaxed occasional chuckles and smiles from each of them.

Needless to say, Allura and Coran were fascinated with the human culture displayed in the movie. They peppered the closest humans, Hunk and Shiro, with urgently whispered questions about certain human traditions.

           “Are all human males and females separated by gender when taught in an education facility?”

           “Do human males always get into that much trouble in their youth?”

           “What are _ants_? What are _skunks_?”

           “Why are your swimming pools like that? You actually _race_ in those?”

After the tenth annoyed ‘hush’ by Keith, the two Alteans zipped up and kept their questions for another time. Humans are fascinating indeed. They’ve learned quite a lot of… _things_ these past few days, and they have a feeling that they haven’t even scratched the surface of their oddities.

            “Those two are totally gay for each other,” Pidge whispered to Lance at some point in the story. She was referring to the two main characters, who, admittedly, seemed quite close.

            “No kidding,” he chuckled.

Pidge waggled her eyebrows at him and Lance just rolled his eyes and swatted at her in exasperation.

After they finished the three movies in the series, the lights were dimmed for the night. Pidge, Keith, Lance and Hunk had already begun nodding off during the last few minutes of the third movie. Allura and Coran had left after the second movie to check up on the castle and get some rest.  Shiro and Lance, each bearing some sense of responsibility born from taking care of younger siblings, made quick work of gathering the empty cups, plates, and bowls for washing. Shiro shooed a sleepy Lance back to the couch as he piled the dishes on the far side of the room to be dealt with in the morning. He then switched off the projection device that they used for the movie and made his way back to the team.

As he looked back at the four sleepy paladins, he decided against sending them back to their rooms. They already looked pretty comfortable, and he was too tired to walk out as well. Lance and Keith were already asleep on the floor in front of the couch. Lance was sitting in a lotus position; his hands were limp as they settled on his thighs. His head was also lolling backwards as he leaned on the couch cushions. Keith, also seated in a lotus position beside Lance, had his arms crossed and his head was bobbing up and down and he looked as if he’d pitch forward any time now.

Above them were Hunk and Pidge. Hunk was snoring gently as he leaned against the backrest of the couch, his hands were rising and falling in time with his breathing as they rested on his stomach. On his left, Pidge was leaning against him, her back was pressed to his side as she curled up in her usual fetus position. Her knees tilted to the side and were propped up by the couch’s backrest.

Shiro picked up a few clean, stray blankets and wrapped each paladin up comfortably. Lance and Keith shared the biggest one. Shiro had turned around to find them in a more stable position as they leaned against each other. He tucked each end of the purple blanket around their shoulders. He draped a thick brown blanket over Hunk and tucked a maroon one around Pidge’s small form. He grabbed a navy blanket for himself and squeezed between Pidge and the couch armrest, laying his head on it gently. Shiro’s legs were on the couch’s edge, parallel to Pidge. He had to bend them slightly so as not to kick Hunk. He wrapped his blanket around his torso and shut his eyes.

              “Good night, guys.”


	7. In the Morning!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This short chapter picks up after the last one.  
> I'm planning on continuing this by adding a couple more bonus chapters!  
> Hit me with some suggestions if you like :)

DAY 7 - MORNING

Pidge was the first to wake up. She opened her eyes sleepily and glanced around.  Everyone seemed to have shifted during the night.

Keith was now laying on the floor. His head was resting against Lance’s right arm which bent at the elbow so Lance’s hand lay on his chest. The blue paladin was flat against the floor, his other arm rested on his stomach. The purple blanket they slept with was bunched around their thighs.

Despite Shiro’s best efforts, his feet found their way to Hunk’s lap at some point in the night. Though it didn’t seem like the yellow paladin minded. The brown blanket he had was crumpled into a big makeshift pillow that supported his head and neck as he laid them on the couch armrest. Pidge on the other hand also had no control over her legs during the night, as she found her right leg resting over Shiro’s side and her left foot pushing against his back.

She shifted slightly as she made to stand and stretch. Her movement prompted Hunk and Shiro to wake as well. They smiled sleepily at each other in greeting. None of them could stand up though, as Lance and Keith were still, blissfully, asleep.

“Pictures?” Pidge smirked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“Pictures,” confirmed Hunk while he stifled a yawn.

Pidge fished for the tablet she tucked between the couch cushions the previous night and took no less than ten photos of the sleeping duo. Only a few minutes passed before the two woke up in a flustered panic. They began to argue as they always did, and Pidge simply stifled a laugh. Hunk smiled as he said something about making such a racket so early in the morning. Even Shiro let out a small chuckle as he stood to break up their fight.

Pidge had to excuse herself discreetly as she wrapped herself in a blanket. She noticed a small stain on the couch cushion she slept on and needed to go to the bathroom to clean herself up. Hunk just caught her eye and patted her head. He picked up the stained cushion and tossed the other blankets on top of it to be laundered. He waved her off to leave as he and Shiro busied themselves with tidying up. Keith and Lance were awkwardly stepping around each other and mumbling comments here and there as they collected the neatly arranged dishes for washing.

Pidge stopped at the doorway and watched her teammates fondly. Having four big space brothers is awesome!

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! The fic's over! (for now, maybe?)  
> Drop a comment, guys! I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> I've had fun writing this. As I mentioned earlier, I'm considering extending this by a couple more chapters for extra scenes or whatnot. Hit me up with suggestions!


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